Sidewalk barbershops are a symbol of old Saigon. In the face of globalization and its demands for westernization, the sight of a simple chair placed beneath an awning where one can get an affordable trim just a few meters from a busy street is gradually vanishing.

“We’re going to Taipei on VietJet Air,” an acquaintance said to me. An international flight on Vietnam’s notoriously delayed airline didn’t sound like the best idea ever. But who would expect that I was set to fly to Tainan, a city on the island's southwest coast, just a few hours after the brief conversation with her. The reality was that I found it excruciatingly difficult to reject a cheap flight deal.

In full "ninja" attire, I braved congested streets under the scorching sun looking for the address. Finally, having spotted a sign that reads 'OldSchool Barbell System’ tucked deep inside Binh Thanh District, I hopped the curb, cheated my way to the destination towards a wide parking spot and prepared to enter a world secluded from the chaotic surroundings.

"Saigon in its golden age was a time to be remembered and passed down to younger generations. The vintage aesthetic trend in Vietnam has been around for a couple of years now and for me, it is a cause for celebration," owner Anh Tuyet said of the trend that has swept cafés and restaurants citywide. Thị's customers, meanwhile, are here for more than just the aesthetic.

Few people are aware that Saigon has an affordable, world-class emergency ambulance response service offering state-of-the-art treatment that begins the moment a call is placed from anywhere in the country.

Plagiarism not only runs rampant in Vietnam’s online creative industry, but also in more traditional art forms such as oil paintings and lacquer.

Thanh Nien reports that last week, art expert and artist Le The Anh called out young artist Nguyen Truong An for blatantly replicating elements of fellow artist Nguyen Khac Han’s woodcutting work.

The piece in question is An's ‘An Lac’, which was recently displayed as part of an exhibition showcasing new works at the Museum of Fine Arts in Saigon. According to Anh, ‘An Lac’ features up to 70% of Han’s work ‘A Di Da Phat’ (top photo) and only changed the medium from woodcut to lacquer.

Nguyen Khac Han’s woodcut triptych ‘A Di Da Phat’ was previously awarded the gold medal at an exhibition of Vietnamese art back in 2015. The organizer of the Museum of Fine Arts has since removed Nguyen Truong An’s work from the display following the plagiarism accusation.

Thanh Nien shared another plagiarism allegation involving a female nude. According to artist Nguyen Dinh Danh, one sketch in his series of 100 nudes completed in Tokyo in 2002 was copied by local artist Dam Van Tho in his woodcut ‘Cau Chuyen Tram Trung’, which was unveiled in August.

Local artists aren't alone in being vulnerable to having their work re-purposed elsewhere. International artists like French painter Louis Treserras, whose oil painting was copied by Nguyen Phan Bach in his work ‘Co Gai Tho’, is an example. This accusation in particular is even more serious as Bach’s painting was sold at an auction in March, 2017 for US$25,000.